None of the problems I had with the adaptation of the classic “The Galileo Seven” plague this first part of “Operation: Annihilate!”, generally a less-classic episode in general and one that could definitely use an overhaul.

The original episode most notably saw the death of Kirk’s older brother, an event which really wasn’t that memorable. So it makes sense that the retelling brings us back to shortly after the scene in the 2009 film in which young Jimmy Kirk drives a classic car into a ravine. It’s a nice callback both to the film and to the fact that Kirk has a family, if a fractured one, and that’s important to this story.

The away mission to Deneva is in the action-adventure mold, with the neural parasites being a bit more…proactive than they were in 1967. This can pretty safely be chalked up to the expense of filming a running phaser fight at the time versus drawing it for a comic now. Still, the excitement and tension the episode lacked is somewhat here, if not perfectly so.

Of the episodes so far adapted, “Operation: Annihilate!” is shaping up to be the most significantly different while still holding to the core facts. And in a good way. This is what I look for out of this series, precisely.